Agricultural Biotechnology in Sub-Saharan Africa

Kiambi, Dionysious; Midega, Charles; Ochieng, Joel W.

Agricultural Biotechnology in Sub-Saharan Africa

dc.contributor.advisor
dc.contributor.author	Kiambi, Dionysious
dc.contributor.author	Midega, Charles
dc.contributor.author	Ochieng, Joel W.
dc.contributor.editor	Rege, John Edward Otieno
dc.contributor.editor	Sones, Keith
dc.date.accessioned	2024-01-19T18:48:10Z
dc.date.available	2023-06-30T06:03:57Z
dc.date.available	2024-01-19T18:48:10Z
dc.date.issued	2022
dc.description.abstract	Agriculture supports the livelihoods of most households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and makes significant contribution to national economies, especially in countries that are not dependent on mineral wealth. The region is home to more than 950 million people and is projected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050. Although agriculture accounts for about 23% of the region’s total gross domestic product, the full potential of the agriculture sector in SSA is yet to be exploited. Food insecurity on the continent has been increasing since 2014: in 2019, 250 million people in SSA were undernourished, and the coronavirus pandemic has likely pushed tens of millions more into food insecurity. Climate change will exacerbate existing threats to food security and agriculture-based livelihoods. Africa’s 33 million smallholder farmers depend on rainfed agriculture and are especially vulnerable to impacts of climate change. Unlike other regions of the world, where yields have increased substantially over recent decades, yields have stagnated in SSA. The African Union’s target of 6% annual agricultural productivity growth will require substantial policy support and investment in agricultural technologies, including biotechnology. With the exception of South Africa, most SSA countries continue to question whether agricultural biotechnology is a good investment.
dc.identifier.issn	978-3-031-04348-2
dc.identifier.issn	978-3-031-04349-9 (eBook)
dc.identifier.uri	https://repo.pacuniversity.ac.ke/handle/123456789/3696.2
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.publisher	Springer Nature Switzerland AG	en_US
dc.title	Agricultural Biotechnology in Sub-Saharan Africa	en_US
dc.title.alternative	Capacity, Enabling Environment and Applications in Crops, Livestock, Forestry and Aquaculture	en_US
dc.type	Article